


Not Enough?

by Anoddcollectionoffeels



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! - All Media Types, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-06
Updated: 2020-04-06
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:27:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23508376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anoddcollectionoffeels/pseuds/Anoddcollectionoffeels
Summary: Time apart has not healed their wounds. Perhaps a closer connection would help?italics indicate personal thoughts fyi, slightly au and ooc for both yami and seto
Relationships: Kaiba Seto/Yami Yuugi
Comments: 3
Kudos: 15





	Not Enough?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [uglifish (prettiugli)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/prettiugli/gifts).



> Notes:  
> Yu-Gi-Oh is the intellectual property of Kazuki Takahashi and Konami, and is being used in this fan fiction for fan purposes only. No infringement or disrespect is intended by this fan fiction.

Yami couldn’t take it anymore. He didn’t want to lie in bed alone, pining for someone who doesn’t even acknowledge his existence. Probably doesn’t even realize he was even around to begin with. Since Yami gained his own body Kaiba had dropped their friend group like a bad habit. Not that he necessarily acted like he ever enjoyed their company but at least he would show up with Mokuba. Why can’t I get him out of my head? It’s not like I’ve seen him in almost a year.  
Maybe if I was better looking, or smarter, or taller. No, ugggghhh, it would never happen. Kaiba was many things but he certainly wasn’t interested in Yami in any perceivable way. So again, Yami tossed and turned trying to imagine how life could be like if he was anything but himself. Maybe if people liked him more or he was more powerful he could attract someone of Kaiba’s caliber.  
He hated feeling needy but it just couldn’t be helped. He wanted to be brave enough to ask for a date but what if the answer was no, would it be better to know for sure or to have the possibility of a slim chance. Next time, maybe next time he saw Kaiba he’d have the guts to ask him out. He always said this and always chickened out but there was always the promise of next time. It seemed tonight would be just like all the others, tossing and turning thinking of what ifs and how he didn’t measure up.  
The morning didn’t bring any clarity or change to his feelings, seems some things would never change. Jii-chan was working the counter of the game shop and Yugi was currently eating breakfast. Yami wandered down to the kitchen counter to make himself something to eat. Toast seemed to be the best option for the morning since he was still troubled and his stomach was in knots.  
“You doing ok Yami? You seem more tired than usual.” Yugi was looking expectantly at his other half. Since Yami gained his own body Yugi was constantly worrying and acting like a mother hen. The concern he was feeling was plain to see on his face.  
“Just a restless nights sleep aibou. Nothing you need to worry about”  
“They are happening more often, is something bothering you lately?” While he wasn’t expecting an answer he still had to make his concern known.  
“It’s nothing you need to worry about, I promise.” Yami knew Yugi would help him with anything he asked but this seemed so personal he didn’t want to share as of yet. He’d one day just get the courage to ask Kaiba out and move on, results be damned.  
“Don’t forget that Mokuba is coming over tonight for a sleep over, apparently Kaiba is going out of town and didn’t want Mokuba all alone in the mansion.” Yugi grabbed his plate and went to do his dishes while he said this. He missed how Yami’s eyes widened slightly at the news of the Kaiba brothers arrival and how he almost choked on the water he was drinking. It couldn’t be that Kaiba might actually come over to the shop for the first time in a year. Maybe he could finally see him in person again even for a moment instead of looking at his pictures online and in magazines.  
“Is Kaiba coming to drop him off?” Yami tried to keep the hopefulness out of his statement. Maybe Yugi wouldn’t notice.  
“I think he is to make sure Jii-chan is around and to give us his “rules” but hopefully he leaves you alone.” Yugi misunderstood the reason for the question thinking Yami was trying to avoid the persistent requests from Kaiba to duel him. That is on the rare occasion Kaiba happened to be in the vicinity, those pestering questions had since slowed to a halt much to Yami’s dismay.  
“I’m sure Mokuba is in safe hands, we will just have to remind Kaiba of that.” Yami turned to eat his toast even though his stomach was in even more knots than when he woke up. Kaiba would be coming and he might actually get a few moments of his time, even if it was only to make sure his younger brother was in good hands. It still meant Kaiba was available in person.  
Yugi got dressed and started his day, he made sure that Yami was aware he and Tea would be heading to the park for a picnic for their lunch and that he would be back later. Yami was grateful for the alone time, since he was essentially panicking on how he would handle Kaiba’s visit later in the evening.  
Yami proceeded to spend the afternoon after Yugi left trying to figure out what he would wear. Just goes to show no matter the fact that he was a former pharaoh who commanded the entire nation he was still reduced to worrying about what to wear when a guy he liked showed up. He was hopeless, truly and utterly hopeless knowing that everything would most likely be unchanged since Kaiba would most likely make the visit as short as possible.  
It was going on 6 in the evening and Yugi had returned from his date with Tea. Unfortunately for them Jii-chan had run out to see an old friend who happened to show up in town and would only be available that evening before they left again for several months. This meant that Kaiba’s plan to check Jii-chan understood all his rules was going to be delayed.  
The car pulled up shortly after they closed the shop for the day. Mokuba began ringing the doorbell while Kaiba was walking up to the door. Yugi answered it while Yami went to make some tea for them all. It was the polite thing to do, not that Yami wanted to share how it made him smile that he would be making something for Kaiba. Utterly hopelessly crushing on the extremely rude brunette, Yami simply couldn’t help himself.  
“Hey Mokuba, let me show you my room so you can drop off your bag.” Yugi and Mokuba ran upstairs to the room leaving Yami and Kaiba alone in the living room area attached to the kitchen. The tea was prepared and Yami hoped he picked a flavor Kaiba would like.  
Clearing his throat, “Would you like some tea Kaiba?”  
“I won’t be here long enough to drink it.” Kaiba was scowling looking over his shoulder trying to see if anyone else was in the room. “Where’s that old man?” Not one to remember or purposely refusing to use a name, Kaiba always referred to Jii-chan as an old man either enjoying being rude or simply refusing to recognize someone’s existence outside of those he considered important.  
“Jii-chan is going to be late, he ended up going to see an old friend in town early this afternoon and said he doesn’t plan to be back until after dinner.” Yami went to pour himself some tea trying to clear his throat. He felt slightly nervous over the fact that Kaiba was so close.  
“Sooo, he knew when I would arrive and blew me off for some old friend who shows up out of the blue. You’ve got to be kidding me.” Kaiba’s irritation showed very clearly, something he would normally have tried to keep from the other but Yami understood him better than most. If anything, Yami’s company was never really irritating, it was the friendship squad that made things irritating. “I guess I will have a cup of tea.” As Yami turned to pour him a cup, Kaiba looked him over, he was enjoying seeing the pharaoh out of Yugi’s school clothes. Not that he would ever admit it, he did enjoy the body that Yami ended up with. He also noticed how the outfit fit him perfectly and the burgundy shirt happened to show off his eyes more than normal. Yami was damn sexy in that outfit for sure. What the hell was that thought? Kaiba shook his head to clear his thoughts as he was handed the cup of tea.  
“I am sorry you’re delayed but an old friend that was only in town for the one day kinda trumps your visit.” Yami felt the need to defend Jii-chan as always, he did take him in as another grandson after he was given his body. Being given a body and a family on the same day did much to make Yami feel home finally. Yami strode to the living room and sat on the couch waiting for the other boys to return from upstairs. Kaiba joined him on the other end of the couch with his own cup of tea.  
“Whatever.”  
“Where are you going off to Kaiba?” Yami tried to start some sort of conversation. He only had a few moments alone with him and he would like to remember a pleasant conversation for once.  
“Not that it’s any of your business, but I’m going to Tokyo for a meeting. Maybe a date.” Kaiba wasn’t sure why he added the last bit but he did always feel comfortable with Yami around, it just came out.  
Yami sputtered a bit since he had just tried to take a drink when Kaiba out of nowhere announced he would be going on a date. “You don’t seem so sure about that date. What’s she like?” Yami knew he didn’t stand a chance because Kaiba was always around females, just his luck to be a man.  
“Not sure, it’s a blind date. One of my investors insisted that he knew the perfect girl for me so I agreed to meet her. Never works out so I’m not sure why I’m wasting my time.” Kaiba truly had no interest in the opposite sex, even less interest in others in general. No one ever made him feel anything so he really didn’t know why he even tried to date.  
“I guess I hope you enjoy yourself.” Yami’s heart ached saying this, he didn’t want Kaiba to have a good time with someone else. He wanted to be that someone. “Maybe when you get back we could have a duel, it has been a long time since we have seen each other.” Yami would take what he could get and if Kaiba’s romantic attention wasn’t available then maybe his gaming attention would suffice. He knew it wouldn’t be enough but it was something at least.  
“You want to lose to me that badly Pharaoh?” Kaiba instantly felt interested in the conversation. A duel would be the exact thing to re-ignite his passion. Maybe he should come around Yami more often, he always left with more ideas than when he arrived.  
“I’m all set Nii-sama.” Mokuba bounded down the stairs heading towards the two in the living room.  
“Jii-chan called while we were upstairs and said he was on his way back to talk to you Kaiba, he apologized for the delay.” Yugi was coming up right behind Mokuba. He smiled at the pair on the couch glad to find the two were politely talking and not fighting while he was upstairs.  
“Fine, at least the delay is minimal. The tea wasn’t bad at least.” Kaiba smiled briefly at Yami and Yami instantly blushed turning his head away to stare across the room.  
Yugi wasn’t completely blind as he saw the interaction between the two and was extremely curious why Yami of all people would flush at a mild comment like that. When he saw Yami turn back to smile at Kaiba it finally clicked. “Oh.”  
Kaiba and Yami turned their heads to look over at Yugi, “Everything alright aibou?” Yami showed some concern but then glanced slightly back at Kaiba. Yugi didn’t miss this look either and his eyes got wide. When in the world did this happen, how in the world had he missed this.  
“Everything’s fine Yami.” He wasn’t about to blurt it out but he was at least 90% positive that Yami was crushing on Kaiba and he was sure Kaiba has some sort of feeling in return. People don’t tend to act like this but then again Kaiba was strange to begin with.  
The door opened from the shop side and Jii-chan walked in. He stopped to take off his jacket and shoes, putting them away at the front of the hallway attaching the living space to the shop.  
“Sorry for the delay Kaiba, my friend came from Osaka and was only in town for the day before he would be heading back out. Had to make time to see him before he left. So, seems Mokuba has settled in so far, right?” Jii-chan wandered into the living room watching everyone. Kaiba stood and took his empty cup to the counter.  
“If we could speak quickly, I may not be overly delayed by your late arrival. I need to ensure you will be here all weekend with Mokuba and that he is not to be allowed to stay up late or any excess candy.”  
“Nii-sama it’s a sleep over, lighten up. Please!” Mokuba stood his ground and began to plead with his brother, it wasn’t very often that Kaiba let him hang out with friends like this and he wasn’t about to be prevented from enjoying his time with the Motou’s.  
“I promise I will be here all weekend Kaiba and I will be sure that Mokuba eats healthy while he is with us. He and Yugi will have lots of fun with their games while you are away.” Kaiba looked uncertain as if he wanted to cancel the whole thing just to ensure Mokuba stayed safe but the pleading look from his brother prevented him from doing so. Mokuba deserved a little childhood and Kaiba wouldn’t want to take what little opportunities he has away. The Motou’s were fairly trustworthy anyway, and at least he could trust the friendship squad to have his brother’s safety as a priority no matter what came up for the group over the weekend.  
“Fine.” Kaiba looked at his watch and determined the delay was just enough to become annoying at this point. “I’m heading out Mokuba, be good for Mr. Motou. I expect all your homework to be finished when I return. Yami, call my assistant to schedule time for that duel.” With those parting words he turned and left through the front door while making a call. Not once did he look back at any of them.  
Yami was still slightly startled at being addressed at all by Kaiba. Seems his fortune may change, but only if he was gaming. Nothing romantic, he shook his head at the thought and sighed slightly, well maybe it’s for the best. Yugi couldn’t help but notice that Yami now looked super defeated and depressed and realized that it was more than a mere crush if a 5-minute meeting after not seeing someone for over a year could reduce him to such expressions. He had to do something for his other, he always sacrificed everything for everyone, it was about time Yami got something he wanted.  
Yami looked up and noticed Yugi was staring at him. His eyes widened just slightly as he worried if his feelings were showing more than he intended. He really didn’t think that it was but with the way Yugi was staring at him he wasn’t sure. “Everything alright guys? Ready for pizza?” he hoped that he could distract Yugi with food, it usually worked.  
“Pizza sounds great, you want to order Yami?” While normally this distraction would make him drop everything, he was hoping it would work as a distraction for Yami so he could talk to Mokuba.  
“Sure, I’ll order our usual.”  
“Thanks Yami, we’re gunna be upstairs while we wait.” Yugi dragged Mokuba up the stairs into the shared room and shut the door. Mokuba blindly followed wondering why they left the only television the Motou’s have in the living room but went along with it anyway.  
Yugi whirled on Mokuba and began pacing the room. “So, I have something to share with you but I’m not sure how you’re going to react. I need you to promise you won’t go blabbing it to everyone.”  
“Sure Yugi, you know I can keep a secret.” Mokuba is now extremely interested in this topic and can’t help but wonder what changed since they last saw each other.  
“I think Yami likes Kaiba.” Yugi cringed waiting for the explosion from Mokuba. He was flabbergasted when all he was met with was laughter, an extremely insane amount of laughter. It took a few minutes for Mokuba to finally settle himself long enough to respond to Yugi.  
“Of course, they like each other, that’s the only reason Nii-sama lets me over here.” Mokuba didn’t quite grasp the real meaning from Yugi.  
“No, I mean Yami really, REALLY likes Kaiba. To the point where he may or may not ….. want to go out with him.” Yugi figured this time he should get the right reaction. Again, he would be wrong but pleasantly surprised.  
“Huh? You think so?” Mokuba leaned back against the door considering Yami as a potential spouse for his brother. Not the worst choice at the very least.  
“Well, just now I noticed Yami blushing when talking with your brother. I think he was also rather upset that he left as quick as he did.” Yugi was still surprised over the lack of response from Mokuba but he was hopeful that Mokuba understood Yami’s intentions would be pure of heart. Even if he hadn’t confirmed said feelings yet.  
Mokuba considered this new information. It was definitely something he had wondered about considering his brother went out of his way to avoid the friendship group since Yami got his body. His brother did traditionally run away from his problems, maybe he stopped coming around because he didn’t know how to react. Seemed odd to think this way considering he wasn’t sure if his brother liked men or women. He was going off to Tokyo to go on some date with a girl, so maybe he liked women. Mokuba truly felt his brother hadn’t actually shown an interest in anyone if he was really honest about it.  
“You’re not surprised about this?”  
“Not really, … I mean Nii-sama had always been obsessive of Yami before, so it would make sense he would be obsessed still. The thing I’d say is, are you sure Yami has feelings cause I’m not going to bug Nii-sama about something that isn’t really anything in the end.” Mokuba knew his brother despite his tough exterior, did care about certain people very deeply and he would be very hurt if he found out that person cared less about him in return. He certainly wouldn’t allow something like that to happen to his Nii-sama.  
“Do you think we should ask?”  
“Well if your wanting to do anything about it you better ask otherwise you can forget whatever your thinking.” Mokuba would protect his brother at whatever cost, so unless Yami was serious about whatever feelings he had there would be no assistance from Mokuba. He would sabotage them for the rest of his life if this was just a passing fancy.  
“Before I go asking and making things weird, would you help at least get them together more often? I know Kaiba can be a little rough around the edges but if he makes Yami happy then I’d want them to be around each other as often as possible. Even if we don’t really know how Kaiba feels about the whole Yami thing? I want to protect Yami just like you want to protect your brother.” Yugi was really hoping that Mokuba would see the opportunity that was presented for the two brothers before trying to sabotage the whole thing.  
“Yes, I’ll help get him opportunities to see my brother but I’m not going to do the leg work if he wants to date my brother. If he wants a date, he will have to do it himself.” Mokuba knew if he interfered with Nii-sama and his personal life that it a) wouldn’t work and b) would make his brother walk away from the person he wanted, thinking that person didn’t want him back. He had a pretty good feeling now that he thought about it that Yami was the person Kaiba ultimately wanted and wouldn’t want to interfere with their potential relationship.  
“Ok, let’s go back and talk to Yami, maybe the pizza is here already.” Yugi figured he had nothing to lose when asking Yami about everything since they weren’t going to be doing anything more than getting him some more face time with Kaiba. He was a little nervous he was about to make things super awkward for Yami or everyone it would seem. Still it would be worth it if this meant he could help get Yami some more time with Kaiba face to face.  
The two went back downstairs and found Yami sitting on the couch playing with his phone. He looked up and smiled at them when he noticed they were in the room, “Pizza will be another 10 minutes or so.” He was hoping that was all they were there for but he was suspicious since Yugi seemed to be uncomfortable standing in front of him like he had something to say.  
Yugi debated for a moment to think on the best way to say this and figured he may as well just be direct about it. “How long have you liked Kaiba?” Ok well maybe that was super direct about it but saved them time.  
Yami just stared at him for almost a minute, mouth opening and closing as if he wasn’t sure what to say in response. Figures his aibou would see through him and notice his behavior. He wasn’t sure he really even wanted to respond if he was honest. This was his personal issue and having someone know about it felt strange. It might be nice to talk to someone about it at least but did he have to ask this in front of Mokuba. Kaiba was going to laugh at him when he found out about all this and then most likely refuse to ever see him again. “Don’t worry about this aibou, it’s nothing.” He really didn’t want anyone to meddle when he already figured out where he stood.  
“Yami this is important cause if I’m going to help you then I need to know your intentions for my brother.” Mokuba was going to put his foot down on the matter, just in case Yami was thinking he could get out of answering the question.  
“There is nothing to help with Mokuba cause there is nothing there.”  
“But Yami what if there is something, what if he just doesn’t know how to react or maybe….”  
“Aibou drop it. There is nothing to help with cause there is nothing going on. So just .. just drop it.” Yami got up from the couch exhausted for once. “I’m going to bed.” Despite it being way too early he figured that if he feigned sleep the boys would leave him alone. He trudged up the stairs since he just couldn’t find anything to be positive about at the moment. Kaiba barely talked to him, Yugi and Mokuba realized his feelings, soon Kaiba would be told as a way of ‘helping’ and would merely laugh the whole thing away. Who was he kidding, Kaiba would play on that for the rest of his life. He really, really hated how things were turning out today.  
“I really didn’t expect him to just walk away, obviously he doesn’t care about Nii-sama at all.” Mokuba was mad, he thought for a moment that maybe his brother might enjoy himself on a date for once but nooooo Yami had to do what he was afraid of. Why was he being so dumb, Nii-sama was a great catch.  
“I don’t think it’s that simple Mokuba. I know what I saw and he clearly likes him but I think maybe he is worried about your brother’s reaction?” Yugi was trying to salvage the situation. He was 99% positive he saw longing from Yami’s expression and even Kaiba’s expression implied there was more than mild interest in the other. There had to be something he could do to help his other half.  
“There is nothing to worry about because we aren’t saying anything about it. Yami is just a jerk and he will just hurt Nii-sama anyway. Good riddens.”  
Yugi let it go as Mokuba was getting frustrated. The doorbell rang and their pizza arrived. They began playing some video games since they were Mokuba’s favorite and overall had a good evening. Then Yugi stepped away while Mokuba was getting ready for bed to talk to Yami and bring him some pizza. It was his favorite. He knocked on the door and waited for Yami to acknowledge him.  
Yami sighed, he knew there was no way that Yugi just dropped it but he was hoping so since the boys hadn’t bothered him all evening. “Come in.” He sat up on his bed turning his phone off since he was watching videos on it so he could at least not be accused of ignoring Yugi. He was crashing in the spare bedroom/storage room for the weekend to allow Mokuba a bed to sleep in. He truly didn’t mind accommodating a friend of Yugi’s since it at least gave him some privacy from the two younger boys.  
Yugi walked in unsure on what mood Yami might be in, he really didn’t want to badger him but had to get to the truth. “Thought you might be hungry so brought you some pizza. I even warmed it up for you.” Yugi showed the plate full of pizza slices to his other as a peace offering. He really wanted Yami to open up for the conversation he was about to bring up.  
“Thank you aibou, that was nice of you.”  
“Can I talk to you about earlier?”  
“What?” Yami immediately became guarded about the topic in question. He knew he got off too easy earlier when he was allowed to head to bed without interruption.  
“I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable but I wanted to help. Do you like Kaiba?”  
Yami rolled his eyes thinking this is exactly the same conversation and it wasn’t fair. “Yugi please just drop it…” Yami was about to continue about how he wanted to keep this quiet but Yugi cut him off.  
“I won’t say anything to Mokuba or Kaiba, I swear. It’s just that you always give up everything for everyone else to be happy and you never ask for anything so I thought that maybe I could finally help make you happy for once.” Yugi really needed to be sure Yami understood why he was asking odd questions. That this was all just to help him and not so that people could get upset over anything.  
“Aibou…” Yugi looked directly at Yami and he lost his nerve, he couldn’t be upset with Yugi no matter what and Yugi mastered the puppy dog face which you just couldn’t say no to. Instead he figured he had nothing really to lose if he did open up. “Yes aibou, I do like Kaiba and have for a long time. No I do not want your help with this cause I know exactly how this will go. No you won’t change my mind about it either.”  
“You really don’t know how this will go, maybe there’s something good…”  
“Yugi, Kaiba is traveling to Tokyo to go on a date with a woman, I have only seen him with women. He hasn’t spoken to me in almost a year and I was the one who mentioned the duel in the first place. He is not interested so I’m really just wanting to try to forget about this. I know you mean well but just let this go. Please.” Yami had to put his foot down, and saying everything out loud made him feel even more of a fool for liking Kaiba. Of course he had feelings and odds are they wouldn’t go away but maybe he could find someone else to care for and maybe he’ll be happy. He doubted it but one could always hope. It hurt thinking about all the ways he and Kaiba would never be together but it was the right way to handle this. He had to move on for his own happiness otherwise he would be pining for the man for his whole life and lord knows if this was spillover from their past lives. Yami was tired of thinking about all this, it’s all he ever really did.  
“Ok Yami, I won’t ask about this again and I won’t try to help. But if you need to talk about this please remember I’m here for you as much as you’re here for me.”  
“I promise I will aibou. Go back to having fun.”  
Yugi left knowing that he hadn’t helped Yami at all and in fact may have made the ex-spirit feel worse about how Kaiba ignores him. It wouldn’t help to keep reminding him of these things so he opted to be there for Yami when needed instead of butting his nose into something he really should stay out of. The weekend went by rather quickly and before they realized it Mokuba had gone home but Kaiba wasn’t the one to pick him up. Apparently, he was held back in Tokyo and wouldn’t be back for another day but wanted Mokuba home so he could go to school like normal. As soon as Yami heard he stayed behind in Tokyo his heart broke and all he could do was mope around the game shop. He couldn’t help thinking that Kaiba must have met his preferred match and that his slim hope that he would be noticed was gone before it could become anything more.  
A few months past with Yami moping around, Jii-chan not understanding what was wrong, and Yugi feeling terrible for his other half and knowing if he meddled even to help it would not be met with appreciation this time around. Yami woke up and barely ate through the day only to go right back to sleep and start the cycle over. He never did set up that duel with Kaiba’s assistant and had no intention of reaching out. As much as he wanted to see him it would only hurt to see him happy with someone else.  
Kaiba however was in a downwards spiral not understanding what was going on with himself. He had to stay in Tokyo because that dumb girl insisted on moving their date despite being told it was inconvenient, she promised the show they were going to would be worth the delays to his schedule. Well actually she promised she would make it worth his while to go to this show. Kaiba did not understand other than the fact he would be delayed so when she started sliding a hand up his thigh it was certainly a shock to his system. Once the rest of his brain started working again from the unexpected surprise he was disgusted with the behavior. He quickly removed the offending hand from his leg and then removed himself from the show. He thinks he heard her protest a bit before the door shut but he didn’t care anymore. This was why he didn’t go out with people. People were rude and inconsiderate and if that bimbo thought delaying his schedule for the promise of sex was worthwhile, she was delusional.  
Dodged a bullet as far as he was concerned with that woman however, he still couldn’t shake the oppressive feelings of depression closing in on him lately. After the horrid date he returned to Domino to go straight to work and found that there would be no duel with Yami. Instead he was informed there had been no call made as if Yami wanted nothing to do with it. It was whatever, not like he hadn’t been doing just fine without the man. He was just hoping for a few new ideas to come from their duel but instead he was left with feeling less than optimal. He was having issues sleeping and that seemed to be even worse than he could have imagined since he barely slept as it was. He kept waking up in the middle of the night hugging his pillow and having a feeling his dream was him with someone important. He would toss and turn all night, the next morning his secretary would remind him that among everything going on at work Yami still hadn’t called (she didn’t want to do this but he required it of her) then he would have an unproductive day at work.  
Mokuba was getting extremely concerned about his brother. The last time he was erratic it was related to defeating Yami and he wasn’t sure what could be bothering him so much this time. Yami no longer dueled in public so the title of King of Games was up for grabs. Kaiba had already beaten everyone who was fighting for the title this time around so he knew if he wanted to come out of retirement, he could easily claim the title. It wasn’t a relationship issue as his brother had announced that the girl was a moron and didn’t speak of the date again. He didn’t want to push his brother but something was bothering him immensely and it was beginning to affect his work. That was something Seto Kaiba never allowed to happen so this had to be a huge deal.  
“Nii-sama, do you have a minute to talk?” Mokuba called from the door to the office. He knew better than to walk in during work hours for something unrelated to work.  
“Come on in Mokie.” It wasn’t like he was getting any work done at the moment. Still unable to figure out the funk he seemed to be in.  
“Hey, I wanted to check in on you. Is anything wrong, you’ve been strange ever since Tokyo. Is it about that girl, maybe?” Mokuba was taking a shot in the dark that the time frame coincided but he wasn’t really sure about anything anymore. His brother didn’t follow normal thought processes on a good day so the odds that he would be normal now would be a million to one.  
“Don’t worry yourself about some moron who made too many assumptions. I’ll never see her again so no need to worry.” Kaiba palmed his face exhausted at the moment. He never got exhausted like this in the middle of the day, something was wrong he just couldn’t put his finger on it.  
“Well did you want to see her again?” Mokuba figured maybe the girl didn’t want to see his brother again, not an abnormal experience but if Seto wanted to meet with her again he would do what he could to help. His only concern was his brother’s happiness.  
“Why in the world would I want to do that?!?!?!” Kaiba finally stared at his little brother astounded. “What would make you think I want to meet with a nimrod who thought they could bribe me to date them by offering sexual favors?” Kaiba got up from his desk and began to pace. His heart was pounding in his chest, almost like his stress levels were rising along with his agitation but it had never been this overwhelming before. What is wrong with me lately? This all started with my trip but everything was fine when he dropped off Mokuba with Yami and the Motou’s.  
Mokuba couldn’t believe what he was hearing or seeing. Seto hadn’t spazzed out like this in forever if he even did it before. On top of that apparently this crazy girl came on to his brother and it was not something he was interested in. Maybe Yugi was right about this whole thing, maybe his brother did appreciate Yami’s attention more than others. “Well you seemed fine when you left, even up beat as you were leaving. Did Yami say something to upset you?” This was the long shot he wasn’t sure about taking but if it helped maybe the fall out would be worth it.  
“Yami didn’t say anything, in fact he hasn’t reached out at all. Like he doesn’t want to duel at all!!” Kaiba slammed his hands on his desk in front of his brother and the jump that Mokuba did as a result calmed Kaiba down at least a little bit. “Sorry Mokie, didn’t mean to startle you. It’s just that I thought Yami wanted to duel and he hasn’t called my secretary to set it up.”  
“Well, it’s been a long time since you two saw each other on a regular basis. Maybe he’s worried he was imposing or something. It’s not like you’ve been around at all to make him think otherwise.”  
“I just thought maybe…” Kaiba sighed and went to stare out his windows. “It was stupid Mokie, don’t worry about it.” There was nothing to worry about and of course he was going to be left out in the cold again. Why do I even try, it’s not like he’s ever noticed me.  
Mokuba could not believe what he was seeing for the first time. There was obviously something Seto wasn’t wanting to share and Mokuba would bet it was a crush on a certain ex-pharaoh. But Yami had said it was nothing, there was nothing. But maybe he could help make it something, for Seto who always put himself last. He now had a mission to help his big brother get out of his own way so he can finally be happy. Or at least get a chance to be happy. That’s all Yugi had really asked for, to help the two men get together more often. If Seto thought Mokuba was around the “friendship squad” too much before he wouldn’t know what to do with himself when Mokuba was done signing him up to be around them ALL THE TIME. Kaiba wasn’t the only one that was able to manipulate people, Mokuba however was the only one that could manipulate his brother. He just really hoped at the end of it all Seto would appreciate his interference instead of getting angry. He really didn’t want to be grounded again.  
“Let me know if I can help at all Seto, you know I’m here for you.” Mokuba knew that would never happen but he had to be sure that his brother knew how he felt.  
“Thank you Mokie.” If only you could actually help, can’t help with something that doesn’t exist. Seto palmed his face again as Mokuba was leaving his office. Something has got to give. I can’t keep running on empty. Now that Kaiba actually thought about it, he felt like getting some sleep, a nap sounded heavenly. Well if I can’t sleep at night maybe a few hours during the day is worth it. He let his secretary know to hold his calls for the next few hours and to only interrupt him if something was drastically important.  
Seto barely laid down before he started to have the most vivid dream. He was surrounded by Red in all sorts of different hues, it felt like he was being pierced by the color as it was assembling itself. He reached out to caress the color as if it was the finest art piece he had ever seen. What he didn’t expect was for him to collide with something solid as he reached out, it all seemed to be swirling air but he was definitely touching something. He reached out further as the color swirled upon himself and began to see a set of eyes. Yami…. Once the swirls settled, he could see Yami’s face finally. He leaned in to touch him, marveling at how soft his skin was. It wasn’t enough, this is what he wanted but he couldn’t get enough just from the caress of his skin. He leaned in further to kiss him, one chase dream kiss and he might be satisfied. Like hell that would happen. Yami was smirking at him as he got closer, reaching out his own hands to hold Kaiba.  
Seto woke up instantly having fallen off the couch he had been sleeping on. Apparently when he leaned over in the dream he rolled off the couch. What the actual fuck was that?!?!?! This isn’t happening, why in the hell do I want that pipsqueak. Then again if Kaiba was honest with himself even for a brief moment he would have to admit it’s the one thing he had been wanting and craving since the two of them met. He always pushed back as much as he possibly could. Nobody wants to be with someone neurotic, get this out of your head. Yami wants someone normal, he deserves someone who isn’t difficult to get along with. Maybe if I’m lucky I’ll just forget about all of this. Kaiba sincerely doubted he would forget anything to do with the pharaoh or ex spirit, it had been several years since they met, at least one year since he had a physical body, and yet Yami still dominated all of Kaiba’s personal thoughts whenever he had a moment to spare.  
Kaiba sighed heavily as he sat up leaning his back against the sofa while he sat thinking about his dream. His heart ached to be that close with Yami, he didn’t know when his eyes started to get a little glassy with unshed frustrated tears but he did feel it when they finally dripped down his cheek. He wiped his eyes quickly and decided he wouldn’t feel sorry for himself. Everyone wanted to be him, or wanted him around by default since he was rich and what everyone considered handsome. Why should he care about what 1 person thought, or as it seemed, didn’t think about him?  
He was Seto fucking Kaiba and he refused to admit that something was bothering him. He had gone through most of his life ignoring people and their offers of affection. They always left when they really got to know him so why bother getting attached at all. That’s the lie he told himself, that he was better off not knowing or connecting because he would only hurt in the end. The part of him he kept trying to ignore was the part that kept mentioning, maybe in some way Yami would be different.  
Yami shot off the bed with a jolt. His heart was racing and the dream was dancing along his mind almost a memory and almost forgotten. That didn’t just happen, that felt so real. It felt like he was really being caressed by Kaiba of all people. He almost even got a kiss from the man before he shot off the bed startled. He doesn’t even want me in my dreams, how depressing is that. Yami got up and grumbled, not only was he having great dreams but not getting to finish them it was also getting cold. Soon enough it would start getting even colder as the fall over took Domino. Then winter would come and remind Yami just how lonely he was being, cold in a bed all by himself, again.  
He just knew that something was up as soon as he started walking towards the bathroom. Yugi was on the phone and as soon as he walked by he had hung up.  
“Late start to the morning Yami?” he wore the sweetest expression. Unfortunately for Yugi, Yami knew that meant he was trying to hide something from him. Usually it meant some sort of function with the group that Yami would not enjoy.  
Yugi was hoping that Yami would go along with his new plan. While he wanted to help Yami, he was also being selfish and trying to get time with Tea and still have time with his friends. He was hoping to be able to do both and with Mokuba’s help maybe something good would happen. He had just gotten off the phone with Mokuba, who had been extremely supportive this time around sharing that maybe he was a little too quick to judge the feelings that were between Kaiba and Yami. He seemed to feel that Kaiba was actually having feelings but did not want to talk about it. And now that he knew Yami had feelings too it made things so much simpler. Now that they had the goal together it would happen that they would need to manipulate both men into hanging out together even if they argue over it.  
“What’s going on Yugi?” He knew better than to just let Yugi go when he used that expression. It normally meant something bad was about to happen.  
“Nothing, was just making plans with everyone. We were going to go to the Fall festival together. And I figure since you don’t have any plans you would be going too.”  
“Oh no, you’re not roping me into entertaining Joey and Tristan while you go run off with Tea.” This happened only too often and he was so tired of being the one left out of groups.  
“No, nothing like that, I promise. It’s going to be me and Tea, Tristan and Serenity, Mai and Joey, then you and Mokuba if you can go. I don’t think Kaiba will let him go unless there was someone dedicated to watching out for him.” Hopefully the Kaiba name drop will make Yami agree without too many questions.  
“So, it’s a couples thing and you want me to babysit?” Now Yami was irritated, how dare Yugi assume that he should babysit because he doesn’t have plans today.  
“No, not at all. We are hoping that Duke and others will show up but those are the for sure going people and Mokuba can’t go unless you promise to go. Cause you’re the oldest.” Ok now kissing up to Yami was never on the agenda but whatever it took to get him to go to the festival is what Yugi would do.  
“When is it and how long am I required to be there for?” Yami just had a feeling that no matter what he felt he would be pushed into going to the stupid festival. Today is the perfect day to be surrounded by other loving and adoring couples, notttt. I so do not want to do this.  
“It’s only for a few hours unless we find things to hang around for longer, we were planning to go to the festival and after being there awhile we would grab dinner and then split up. Soooo, is that a yes?” Yugi had to make sure Yami agreed for their plain to work.  
“Yes fine, whatever.” Yami stomped to the bathroom irritated that he was manipulated into going to the festival. Maybe it will take my mind off things, hopefully Mokuba behaves. Yami shrugged his shoulders and wandered away from Yugi intent on ignoring him until he was forced to socialize later in the day.  
Yugi watched Yami wander down the hall grumpily. “I hope this ends ok”, he texted Mokuba “I would really hate for this to blow up in our faces”. Yugi got back on his phone this time texting updates instead of calling, someone was still too close to him to overhear the conversation.  
Yugi: Guilted Yami into going with us tonight, how you doing on your end?  
Mokuba: Trying to get five minutes with Nii-sama, how’d you manage that?  
Yugi: Told him he needed to look out for you.  
He thinks everyone is going still.  
Are we just going to split off as soon as the two get there?  
Mokuba: Yeah we will have to make them chase us for a bit before we disappear otherwise I know Nii-sama will just leave.  
Are we meeting up with the guys after?  
Yugi: Yeah we will meet them at the arcade after we leave the festival.  
Do you really think this is a good idea?  
Kaiba may just leave anyway.  
Mokuba: No, I’ll be sure to make him promise even if we lose each other to stay and wait for me. He will be super suspicious though.  
Yugi: I hope they realize we are doing this for them ultimately.  
Mokuba: Hope so too, see you tonight.  
Yugi locked his phone and went to their shared room to get ready for the real get together. Everyone was going to be waiting for them at the restaurant instead of the festival. That way no one would accidentally spill the beans on the plan. He knew he needed good shoes to run around with as he knew that Yami would pursue him at great length if he thought he was being ditched. They had the layout of the festival all planned out and even roped a ride out of Isono further up the street from the festival so they had a quick getaway. They had to get Yami and Kaiba together without realizing they were the ones ditched, but merely wandering around trying to find the rest of the group.  
Finally, they were heading to the festival. Being that neither Yami or Yugi could drive they were walking towards the event. Yami was highly suspicious of Yugi since apparently one of them was over dressed for the festival. Yugi kept mentioning he wanted to impress Tea but it didn’t seem like he was being believed. They finally arrived at the agreed upon meeting place. Being the first to arrive they were just waiting around for the arrival of everyone else.  
“Yugi, what’s really going on here?” Yami could just feel that he was being given half of the information and knew something was going to happen that he was not going to be very fond of.  
“Nothing is going on, just seems we are first to arrive.” Yugi knew he was very bad at lying in general and having Yami keep questioning him wasn’t helping. He was bouncing on his feet trying to look around for the two Kaiba’s hoping they were going to arrive soon before he lost his cool and let the cat out of the bag so to speak.  
Mokuba came running up to them a few moments later. A tall brunette followed closely behind. Yami could not believe his luck that he was getting some time with Kaiba along with having to hang out with the group. Maybe this would end up with a win-win scenario that would make the hassle worth it.  
“Hey Yami, hope you’re doing good. Yugi!!!!” and with that he grabbed Yugi’s arm before Kaiba joined their group and began sprinting away from the two older men.  
“Wait, Mokuba? Get back here.” Kaiba was thrown off just a little by seeing Yami but was immediately annoyed at his little brother trying to run off. This is what he got for being nice and going to this stupid festival in the first place.  
“Guys where are you going?” Yami had a feeling this was all planned but didn’t want to think Yugi would ditch him like this. At least he hoped he wouldn’t leave him alone. Kaiba just came to drop Mokuba off anyway, not that he wasn’t happy to see him even if it was just a passing moment.  
“What the hell are they doing?” Quick say something so you can keep talking to Yami, maybe you can turn this into a positive. Kaiba’s heart was beating faster just from the proximity of Yami next to him as he arrived to their meeting. It’s just a moment, no need to overthink this.  
Yami turned to address Kaiba and lost his train of thought. He was dressed in jeans with a grey hoodie. Casual clothes looked extremely good on Kaiba and he couldn’t help but pause to take in the rare sight. What Yami was failing to realize is that while he may be staring at Kaiba, Kaiba was returning that stare. Kaiba could never get enough of the muted colors of his shirt highlighted by the black accessories and pants. It was someone who knew they could handle their own but still wanted to connect and be friendly. Kaiba would never be able to pull off that look but Yami was dreamy for lack of a better explanation. Then their eyes finally met and both froze, neither wanted to be caught staring. Seto’s face began to turn red while Yami flushed himself. Yami was the first to break the eye contact, turning his head back to where the boys ran off ahead of them.  
“Seems to me that they were running, Kaiba.” Yami enjoyed being contrary to Kaiba, it always provoked the taller man into a bickering match that Yami would ultimately win. He could hear Kaiba huff in irritation.  
“No shit sherlock. But why are they running?”  
“You would need to ask them.”  
Kaiba turned to glare at Yami, even if he was extremely attractive, he was probably the most annoying individual he had to deal with all week. “Thank you Caption Obvious.” He was losing his cool and didn’t know how to stop himself. Why can’t I just act like a normal human being. Why does he always push my buttons?  
Yami had a small smile on his face, he was already agitating Kaiba. A very simple joy to have but extremely satisfying. It seemed that there was no end to the annoyance he could be, yet Kaiba would not step back from the challenge. It was a shadow of a relationship if he was gunna be honest with himself but it at least felt like they had a secret language of communication that only couples have. He instantly lost his smile as he thought about couples and how they were not an item and that ship sailed and every other depressing thought he could think of on the subject.  
Kaiba watched as Yami’s face started to turn gloomy. He must hate this, can’t even have a civil conversation together. Kaiba knew he had to do something or they would separate themselves and probably not speak again for another year. Even if it meant arguing or having his buttons pushed, he would put up with it.  
“Well I promised Mokuba I would hang around the fair for at least a few hours, do you know where they could be?” Maybe if he was lucky Yami would hang around him since it seemed no one else was gunna show.  
“We could wander through the stalls, I know Yugi likes to go shopping for handmade items like this. Maybe we could find them there.” Yami figured if Kaiba was going to offer to hang around he would take advantage of hanging out together.  
“After you Motou.” Kaiba figured if he followed behind Yami maybe he could figure out what he was interested in by seeing which stalls would catch his attention.  
There were a lot of vendors and people crowding the pathways. There were a bunch of different types of people all over the place, Yami and Kaiba were constantly being bumped into each other because of those around them. Neither of them would admit how much they enjoyed the contact. And just as he had planned Kaiba was starting to get an idea on Yami’s interests and tastes by looking at the stalls he would pause at. There was one in particular which was a silk panel with images of a landscapes painted on it. It was rather impressively painted, traditional but still framed with a modern feel to it.  
“Did you want that?”  
“Oh, I can’t afford something like that, it is beautiful though.” Yami continued to stare at the piece of art that just made him smile. It was a serene scene of a river’s edge with mountains in the background. It gave him the feeling of being on the river bank just listening to the breeze go through the trees. He thanked the vendor for their time and began moving on not realizing Kaiba hung back. He purchased the screen and asked for it to be wrapped indicating he would return later to pick it up. He found Yami at a jeweler’s stall next looking at the different stones and art pieces. They were getting closer to the food vendors and the smells were starting to make Yami hungry.  
“Yugi mentioned earlier they would have dinner at the food court they set up for the festival. You wouldn’t necessarily want to eat something, would you?”  
“I could eat something; it smells good over there.” I get to have dinner with Yami, Mokuba is not going to be so dead after all. It almost felt like a date was happening, maybe if he didn’t mess up Yami would actually agree to a real date. He followed Yami into the make shift food court area. They had communal tables set up and people were sitting all over the place. Not an ideal place for a dinner date but wasn’t extremely uncomfortable.  
Oh my god, Kaiba is actually going to eat with me. How is this possible, I didn’t think I could ever get this much time with him alone. This has to be a prank or something. He has a girlfriend, doesn’t he, I mean I never asked about the trip he took. I could at least pretend this was a date. Maybe I should ask, put myself out of my own misery. “Kaiba, I never got the chance to ask. How was your trip to Tokyo?”  
“It was a complete waste of my time. The business aspect was disappointing with the contract being voided before it even started and that moron of a girl wasted more time than she deserved. Can you believe she thought offering sexual favors would make her more interesting?” Kaiba shuddered from the memory, being groped by some woman was not on his list of things he would want to endure again. Now, then again if Yami was doing the groping it wouldn’t be so unwelcome. And with that thought Seto turned bright red and his pants became slightly uncomfortable with pressure. Just my luck to become embarrassed as Yami is staring straight at me.  
“So that’s not something you enjoy with your dates?” Yami was confused on why he would push away an attractive female. He was trying not to get his hopes up that it was because Kaiba was gay but just a tiny bit of him held out against the rest of his common sense.  
“No thank you! I could think of a million other more enjoyable activities.” Was that hopefulness he detected in Yami’s question. Maybe there was more to their relationship than he realized.  
“I’m sure the great Seto Kaiba could find many things enjoyable.” It wasn’t flirting with someone if they weren’t paying too close attention. Maybe he could get Kaiba to flush again, it was extremely adorable to watch him turn red.  
“It was worse because of the company I was forced to participate with.” That was not a slight hint that it would be enjoyable with other people right, that wasn’t what he was trying to tell Yami.  
Now that Kaiba was personally relaying how unhappy he was with his date Yami became bold enough to start taking a few jabs at the idea. He didn’t necessarily want to know the full nitty gritty details but was curious what Kaiba could possible consider an enjoyable partner from a romantic stand point. It was mere curiosity; it wasn’t like he was trying to imply Kaiba would enjoy his company or anything.  
“Was she not pretty enough for you? You poor thing, forced to interact socially.” Yami gave a pouting face while he began to mock Kaiba just a little. This is fun, the longest enjoyable conversation we have had in a long time.  
“Hey, I’m interacting socially with you without any problems. Obviously it’s the company involved that makes the activity enjoyable not just the activity itself.” Kaiba stopped dead in his tracks, eyes going wide, he started to palm his face to avoid showing Yami his flushed face. That did not just happen, I did not just say I was enjoying my time with Yami. God I hope he ignores me, I’m being such an idiot.  
Yami just stopped and stared at the tall brunette and watched his face turn red under his hands. Did I hear him right, did he just say he was enjoying himself? “Be careful Kaiba, it almost sounds like you are actually having fun for once. Wouldn’t want people to find out you could have fun.”  
“Oh, come off it, we had fun dueling didn’t we? I mean, at least I thought it was fun.” He muttered the last bit under his breath but he actually was curious if Yami ever really cared to spend time with him. God if he says anything against that I don’t know what I will do. His heart was beating extremely hard and his breathing was a little strained. He was stressed wondering what exactly could possibly make him feel any more of a loser/loner/idiot. Yami is not interested or he would have called. Normal people call and he didn’t call, don’t forget that.  
Yami wasn’t sure what to make of this conversation, it’s the closest thing he could remember to having a) a civil conversation and b) hearing that he actually mattered to his rival. Maybe there was a way he could worm his way into Kaiba’s life, being a part of his life would be worth it, even if it was only a friendship he did care about his rival and wanted to care for him. Maybe this was his way of reaching out for a friend. Instead of responding Yami started paying attention to the stalls for food trying to figure out what he wanted to eat. He could feel Kaiba stare at him, walking next to him wandering through the little courtyard set up in the festival. Then it happened. Out of nowhere someone started pushing through the crowd and bumped Kaiba. He was pushed right into Yami almost knocking him over. Yami braced for an impact to the ground but it never came. Instead he felt Kaiba embracing him, holding both his arms gently but firmly, his chest flush against his side. He opened his eyes and stared right into those blue eyes that haunted his dreams. Their faces were so close he could feel Kaiba’s breath on his cheek.  
“Are you alright?” Kaiba was trying to postpone the moment he would have to let him go. This was alright, it was just because he was going to fall, God he smells good.  
“Yes, I think so. Thank you for catching me.” Yami smiled as they straightened themselves out. Still standing just as close because of the crowd of people. They kept staring at each other, lost in their moment. Kaiba leaned forward slightly, he just couldn’t help himself. Yami smelled so good he just needed more, more contact. “Where did you want to eat?” Yami almost yelled this startling them both out of this moment. His heart was pounding and he didn’t know what to think about what had just happened. This was close, he was so close, he smelled sooooo good. He didn’t mean it, its ok. He wouldn’t want someone like you.  
Kaiba realized Yami was starting to flush while he continued to stare. Oh, well this is different. Maybe…. Maybe he is actually interested.  
Yami tried to extricate himself from Kaiba’s grip. Only thinking of his fear of disappointment and never noticing that he was the one walking away, not Kaiba. If anything Kaiba acted disappointed himself with Yami standing away from him. If I’m not careful I’ll do something to regret, hell I almost just leaned in to kiss him.  
Kaiba began to be thankful for the crowd of people around them. It gave him a reason to lean in closer to speak to Yami, his warmth and scent was overly enticing. Kaiba then became even bolder placing a hand on the small of Yami’s back, something that could be considered intimate but could also be brushed off if unwanted.  
“Have you decided what you want to eat?” Kaiba smiled down at Yami enjoying their proximity greatly.  
“I think… this stall.. over in the corner.” Yami was flushing and his breathing was getting a little strained. Is he doing this on purpose? It has to be on purpose, no one is pushing him this close. Yami turned his head to check that Kaiba had heard what he said and he realized they were now nose to nose. He looked into Kaiba’s eyes to see if there might be anything to tell him what this was. Of course his face was a mask as it always was.  
Kaiba watched Yami close his eyes. Fuck it. He leaned in and pressed his lips on Yami’s, stealing their first kiss and praying it was not as unwelcome as he had been thinking it would be. Kaiba felt pressure in return on his own lips which caused his heart to soar. He pulled Yami closer to him, pressing him flush to his own chest and wrapping his other hand around his back. Yami sighed and began to embrace Kaiba in return, bringing his hands up to his head and running his fingers through the other’s brown hair. It was certainly some time before they parted, mainly for lack of air, but when they did both of them refused to end the embrace. They merely rested their foreheads against each other’s recovering their breath and wondering what to say next.  
“I see you found something enjoyable to do.” Yami smiled shyly, really unsure how to move forward from something he swore would never happen. His mind was a mess with thoughts, but nothing sticking long enough to make sense.  
Kaiba smiled feeling braver than he had in quite some time, “Go out with me?”  
“Ok.” Wait, what the fuck just happened.  
“Did you want to eat here or somewhere else?”  
“What about Yugi? …. And Mokuba?” Weren’t they only here because of their brothers?  
“I have a feeling that the two of them were the cause of this evening. And if not, I know Mokuba can take care of himself. He would call if he needed me. I would assume Yugi is the same?”  
“Yes, Yugi can take care of himself.” Yami started trying to figure out what happened with their little brother’s and then immediately stopped as Kaiba continued talking.  
“We could go to dinner at a restaurant. Perhaps spend some more time together?” God I am so awkward. There’s no way he would want to continue this awkward evening together.  
Yami smiled again while he enjoyed Kaiba flushing and looking uncomfortable. He is trying to be around me, because it’s me. “I would really like that.”  
Kaiba grabbed Yami’s hand and dragged him back to the vendor with the silk screens to pick up his package. Yami tried to ask what it was but before he could Kaiba yanked on his arm and dragged him out of the festival. Of course there was a car waiting for the two of them, that should come as no surprise. What was surprising was Kaiba opening the door for him to the limo the were entering. Yami settled himself on the farthest seat while Kaiba climbed in right next to him. Personal space was not an option currently, not that Yami would be complaining.  
Kaiba leaned in and nuzzled Yami’s neck, “Hi.”  
Yami turned his head to give Kaiba even more access to his kneck, “Hello yourself.” Yami would have turned red with how his voice sounded so breathy but he was already red from being nuzzled by Kaiba that there was no more red to turn. Yami was getting a little overwhelmed with Kaiba and being touched in general that he started to push him back a little into his own seat. ”Kaiba, what is that package you picked up?” Yami knew he was grasping at straws for a distraction, he needed a moment to understand what was happening.  
Kaiba leaned back against his own seat, he could take the hint that Yami needed some space. He was also reeling in thought, unsure of what was happening but scared to get clarity. What if he was just a really good kisser and Yami couldn’t help himself. Okay, even I’m not that egotistical.  
“Kaiba, are you going to answer me?”  
“Seto.”  
“…” Yami was going to be so confused trying to talk with Kaiba.  
“Call me Seto.”  
“Ok…. Seto, what is in that package?”  
“It’s for you.” He handed over the package for it to be unwrapped. He hoped the gift would help him convey some of his affection. Ultimately this was going to be his way of either connecting with Yami as something he enjoyed or connecting with Yami as a gift in general. At some point he would move the conversation towards relationship material.  
Yami stared and wasn’t sure if he should accept said gift. But the look he received when he became hesitant was confirmation that whatever happened this was a gift for him. Something that Kaiba took the time to see he enjoyed and something he should appreciate in general. What he wasn’t expecting to see was the silk screen print of the river’s edge he had so admired earlier in the evening. Was this supposed to be something more than a mere gift? Does Kaiba want this to mean something important as a couple or something as a friendly gesture.  
“Do you like it?” Kaiba couldn’t help but double check himself. Only the Pharaoh could cause him to second guess himself. I know I saw him stare at this particular print. There is no way I got this wrong, he should be thanking me profusely.  
Yami was at a loss of words. This was definitely a declaration of some sort of feelings more than mere acquaintances. He must care quite a bit more than being friendly to pay attention to my preference in prints. “It’s perfect Seto.” This was the perfect ending to their evening, leaving a festival that did have some enjoyable vendors and heading to a lovely dinner, just the two of them.  
“It is the perfect ending, isn’t it?” Kaiba was forgetting more and more just how much trouble Mokuba would end up being at the end of the night. Somehow having Yami in his limo, heading to a restaurant of his choice, really put things in perspective. This evening was totally worth it.


End file.
